Thanks! Looks like it’s not available to consumers, though. Too bad.
On the bright side, it seems like maybe all these folks stepping up to donate have helped avert a crisis:
We saw the same thing. That and hospitals cancelling elective surgeries helped stabilize the blood supply.
The community response was phenomenal. That and hospitals cancelling elective surgeries helped stabilize the blood supply.
I received notification a couple of days ago on my Red Cross Blood Donor app that my blood had been used at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. It was around three weeks from donation to use, so pretty typical, and within 250 miles from the donation site, also a typical distance. I’ve had blood used as close as 20 miles away and as far away as 600 miles, but 250 miles is nothing remarkable.
I think the cancellation of elective surgeries and the reduction in traffic and industrial injuries has lessened the demand. My daughter tried to donate and had trouble finding an appointment.
This is true but another reason it’s more difficult to find an appointment is that they can’t take as many people at a time as normal because of social distancing.
It seems, though, that they still really want your plasma if you’ve recovered from the virus: Donate Blood, Plasma or Platelets | Red Cross Blood
I showed up to an “emergency blood drive” that was inexplicably cancelled without notice. 10 confused donors waiting in line.
I was a little pissed, because as an O-negative donor I am accustomed to being greeted with cookies and a shower of rose petals. But, I also didn’t make an appointment.
I guess in these uncertain times, we need to make appointments even if it’s advertised as a public emergency blood drive.
I wonder if the drive was planned back when things were looking dire and canceled because things have leveled out?
I read that a lot of blood was donated and ultimately wasted after 9/11, and the Red Cross came in for a lot of criticism as a result. I was 18 and remember some inconsistent messaging, which may not have been their fault but left me confused. There were signs all over campus about the urgent need for blood, but when I called to try to find a blood drive or donation center, the woman who answered the phone read off a script about how they were not taking donations at this time, and hung up when I asked when I should call back.
Red blood cells last 42 days. But you can only donate whole blood every 56 days. So that leaves a two week gap between when your blood cells can be used and when you’re eligible to donate again.
So everyone coming out to donate in mid-March is great, but now we’re getting to the point soon where the blood they donated is expired, but they’re not eligible to donate yet. COVID-19 has really highlighted the need for a steady and robust blood supply. People need to make it a habit. They go to the dentist every six months, see their doctor every year, donate blood every two months, get their car’s oil changed every 3000-6000 miles (depending on the oil) etc.
Our local blood bank has begun testing all successful blood donations for the COVID-19 antibody.
My 56 days ended last week and I got a text. I made an appointment for last Monday and went into the center and the phlebotomist told me the same thing. They were thoroughly wiping everything down and only used every other station. Also they didn’t have a snack section for when you were done. They told me he choices and brought what I asked them to bring to me.
I donated double red this week. Large ballroom, lots of spacing. I was a little uncertain about the need to be REALLY CLOSE to two of the workers (the screener and the person actually taking the blood) but they were wearing gloves and we were all wearing masks, so I’m hoping it’s okay. never noticed how close you have to get to them, but after about two months of not being close enough to touch pretty much anyone other than my immediate family, calibration changes.
They did have a snack station and told me to help myself, then sit a long way from the other donors. The other thing was that I had my temp taken twice–once to get into the ballroom and once in the screening. They also used an under-the-tongue-for-one-minute test, which I guess must be more accurate than the speedy ones?
Anyway, I survived so far, and was glad to be able to do it.
Circumstances and rules probably vary…
I was in Germany for three years in the late 1990s and was told that I couldn’t donate blood due to Mad Cow risk. I recently asked and was told the rule was relaxed and was allowed to donate, despite two vacations to Europe in the last three years.
I was wondering about this. I assume your local blood bank is not a Red Cross blood bank? I donated last weekend (after 2 other post-56-days drives I signed up for were closed) and the Red Cross didn’t mention antibody testing at all. I was hoping they would start doing it.
Correct. The Red Cross does not collect blood in my state.
I showed up to a blood donation site the other day. It’s all by-appointment now. They need donors to make appointments for 2 reasons - first, to allow time to sanitize the facility, and second, to justify having the blood drive at all.
They are so serious about this that they were about to turn me away for not having an appointment. Then I told the screener I was O-negative, and she just sort of rolled her eyes and told me she’d fit me in, but I did get a lecture about using the Red Cross app to make an appointment next time.
So, if you’re going to donate, make an appointment online first. It helps everyone out.
There’s an app for it.
It’s interesting that a lot of us seem to have experienced the two speeds of blood collection: “omg thankyouthankyouthankyou you’re saving lives you’re the most important person in the world here let me peel you a grape” and “what do YOU want? Do I look like I have time for your shit?”
What’s up with that?
They aren’t taking walk ins at all where I donate (Vitalant, formerly UBS). It’s all appointment now. This is totally understandable since there is so much extra prep work and they can’t have as many people in the building at a time now.
We’ve relaxed the rule for living on a US military base and being referred for mad cow, but you have to go through our Donor Advocacy group to get that resolved.
Honestly, I think wearing a mask all day plus the extra added steps of disinfecting is making them crabby. The crew always seems on the verge of annoyed every time I go in normal times (but still plenty nice, I have no complaints). The masks can really put you over the edge. At least that’s my experience wearing a mask and simply going to the grocery store. Couldn’t imagine wearing it for a full shift that includes new tasks.